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Friday, September 11, 2015

I started writing this and erased a good portion of it. Rather than go into a long talk about 9/11, I will simply ask you to never forget. Whether you were directly in one of the areas affected or not, it was a horrific day. I ask you to never forget.Today's workout featured the good, bad, and the ugly. First, the good:The good news is twofold. I decided to do a couple 400 meter repeats in the middle of my run just to spice it up. I ran them in 90, 87, 86, and 86 seconds. I am happy about this because the third and fourth repeats were at 5:44/mile pace. Even at almost 42 years old, I still have a bit of speed. I just need to pair that with some upcoming mileage/endurance and I will be breaking that 18:00-5K I am searching for. Second, I felt really good in mile 5 today. For some reason, after slogging through mile 4, my legs really loosened up and I felt great. Could that be a sign of building strength? Hope so.Next, the bad. The bad news is that I have no endurance yet! I need to lengthen some runs. Tuesday will be my next long run and I will not stop until I hit at least 8 miles. I don't care if my leg falls off. If I do not started building up, NYC is going to be a nightmare.

The ugly is pretty ugly. Friday at school there is breakfast every week done by a rotating teacher or pair of teachers. Today's breakfast looked more like a dessert table. Guess what has 2 thumbs and hit that table hard? This guy! I am staying away from there for the next few weeks. :)

Thursday, September 10, 2015

I took today off from running since I ran yesterday and the day before. Ironically, it rained all day today and was cooler so a jog would have probably felt great. However, my schedule and lack of time dictated an evening workout, so I jumped on the stationary bike tonight. It wasn't anything special. I did some high speed spin for the legs to get cleared out of the lactic acid build up. Forty-five minutes of spin on the bike without resistance gets a decent sweat going and gets legs moving. Also, another day of cardio cannot hurt right? During the ride I was reading my compilation of running stories, "Going Long," from Runners' World. I think I have mentioned it a few posts ago, but if I haven't, it's a great read. The stories range from inspiring, heartwarming, informational, etc. The added running/working out, the book, as well as the impending marathon have all really started to build my momentum and motivation. I am really getting into the mode of banging out workouts. There is a certain amount of rise and fall that is inherent in training seasons and what not, so this isn't anything monumental. However, it's always a great feeling and it is impossible to duplicate.I am also encouraged heading into the fall and winter because I don't often build momentum during this part of the year. Usually, this is the downward time heading towards cold weather and what is usually time off. My plan of working hard through winter bodes well with my current swing of motivation. As long as I don't chicken out when it gets cold :)

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Today was another example of me getting a dose of the same old lesson, for the 1000th time. I headed out this morning with the idea of about a 7-8 mile run in roughly an hour, give or take. It is Africa hot once again here and the temps are in the 90's. I started of well, feeling strong and not affected by yesterday's run. About 35-40 minutes into the run though, I got a big headache, stopped producing any moisture in my mouth and basically dried up completely. I stopped 54 minutes into the run and somewhere around 6.5 miles. After that much time in the heat without proper hydration before and during, I was done. There really is no excuse but laziness for my lack of hydration. I know it's important, but slack off at it. I simply have to get in a routine and stick to it. For my body's sake, I have to commit to it and my training will either improve in the heat or continue to suffer from it.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Today is the first day of school in my district, Wyckoff. We are all hopped up on new clothes, sneakers, pencils, Chromebooks, iPads, etc. The excitement is in the air. As it should be! It's a fresh start for teachers and students, parents and administrators. The fall is also perhaps the most popular time of the year for runners. We look forward to fall foliage, cooler temp (not yet though, it's 94 here), and races from the 5K up to the marathon. For me, I know I have the tie to commit to a lot of running. Also, it is a lot easier to commit nutritionally when I am in the school routine.Today, in the 94 degree heat, I ran a tiresome 5 miler in about 40 minutes. It was taxing. Today's heat is pretty brutal. I am about 15-20 minutes past my run and I am still actively sweating and dripping sweat. It's ironic that a lot of my running here for the fall will be done in warm temps probably, and it will culminate with a cooler temp marathon on November 1st. Tomorrow, another significant run. I am hoping to go 6-8 miles if time permits.